Carlos Alcaraz involved in x-rated clash with chair umpire at Qatar Open

Tennis superstar and men's world number one, Carlos Alcaraz, was caught in a foul-mouthed exchange with the chair umpire at the Qatar Open.

Alcaraz, 22, kicked off the 2026 tennis season by winning the Australian Open earlier this month.

The Spaniard produced a brilliant performance to beat 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 inside Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena.

Following his triumph Down Under, Alcaraz was back in action this week as he took part in the Qatar Open, held in Doha.

Having beaten the likes of Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Royer, Alcaraz was up against Karen Khachanov in the quarter-final on Thursday.

During the first set, with the score tied at 4-4, Alcaraz was irked after being given a time violation by chair umpire Marija Cicak.

At the end of an epic rally that resulted in Alcaraz saving a break point, the Spaniard celebrated before going over to the side of the court to get his towel.

Carlos Alcaraz was back in action after winning the Australian Open. Image: Getty

As a result, he was given a time violation; servers are given 25 seconds before play has to resume.

Cicak was heard saying: "I stopped the time," to which Alcaraz replied: "No you didn’t."

Cicak then doubled down, saying: "I did. I stopped time at 25 seconds when it started. Then you got the towel. Then I started the clock again."

After Alcaraz challenged her with: "How much time did you stop the clock? Tell me," Cicak responded: "Carlos, I stopped it til you reached there. I stopped it at 25 seconds til you actually reached the towel."

Alcaraz said: "Alright. So I’m not allowed to go to the towel," with the umpire again responding with: “I stopped it til you reached the area there where you asked the kid to get the towel… I can’t cancel it."

The exchange continued with Alcaraz blasting: "The ATP rules are always s**t. They're s**t."

Cicak then said: "Ok. Well, I think we got the point."

Carlos Alcaraz in Doha, Qatar. Image: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz hits out at ATP rule after incident at Qatar Open

Speaking during his post-match press conference, Alcaraz branded the time rule as 'absurd'.

He said: "Honestly, I think the time rule is absurd. After a very demanding point, finishing at the net, sprinting to my towel, I practically had no time left. She (the chair umpire) told me she stopped the clock when I was on my towel, but from then until I called for the balls and prepared to serve, I had no time to spare.

"To me, that makes no sense. Besides, the crowd was still shouting and cheering, which also causes delays. I looked at the clock when there were three or four seconds left and I didn't have enough time to serve, but she still gave me a warning."

Alcaraz added: "Personally, I think there should be a bit more leniency, even a reconsideration of the rule, because in such tough matches, the same thing always happens, and to me, it's ridiculous."

Looking ahead, Alcaraz will take on Andrey Rublev for a place in the final. On the other side of the draw, Arthur Fils will go up against Jakub Mensik, who got the better of Jannik Sinner.